Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Policy No.0107: Training Requirements for Animal Users at Einstein

Approved by Animal Institute Committee: 8/15/01

REVISED: 3/16/2005

Reapproved: 6/15/11

Part of the mission of the Animal Institute Committee (AIC) is to oversee the training of faculty, students and staff in the use of experimental animals at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein). To ensure that this training is adequate and consistent, all new animal users at Einstein are required to attend training from the Institute for Animal Studies (IAS) on the Orientation of Animal Care and Use at Einstein. This orientation can be done either individually, by contacting the veterinary staff directly, or at the regularly offered sessions, advertised on the IAS website and at the entrances to each of the animal facilities. Any new animal user should arrange for this training as soon as possible, but no longer than three months after starting work with animals.

In addition, all new Principal Investigators and/or lab personnel at Einstein performing surgeries on rodents must attend training from the IAS on Survival Surgery for Rodents, before performing any surgeries. If at any time the IAS veterinary staff or the AIC find that the surgical techniques being performed by a PI and/or lab personnel (regardless of previous experience) are inadequate, the PI and/or lab personnel will be required to complete additional training as determined by the AIC based on observed deficiencies.

Because of the expense and effort put into maintaining Einstein barrier animal facilities, all new users using barrier animals must attend training from IAS on the Use of Barrier Animals at Einstein, before access to the facility will be granted. Current animal users indicate their training and it has been accepted in their AIC protocols. However, if their practices or animal use procedures are found to be inadequate, they will also be required to attend training by IAS in the appropriate area.